Techniques for repairing damaged or diseased tissue are widespread in medicine. Wound closure devices, such as sutures and staples, as well as other repair devices like mesh or patch reinforcements, are frequently used for repair. Various means have been utilized to attach these meshes to tissue, including staples, tacks, sutures, combinations thereof, and the like.
There has been a trend to reduce, for example, hernia mesh weight and stiffness as a means to reduce post operative complications and pain. A light weight mesh has a soft and pliant nature which conforms and flexes with movement of tissue. However, the reduction of mesh weight may make it hard to use, handle, and unfold the mesh during implantation, especially in a wet environment. A common complaint of surgeons is the inability to easily place a mesh and correctly position it prior to tacking, due to the mesh folding upon itself, gripping itself, and/or falling down due to gravity.
Improved meshes and methods for their application thus remain desirable.